-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

-io
-ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
-ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

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noun

lactation

lak-TAY-shun/lækˈteɪʃn/

The production and release of milk by mammary glands.

Hormones regulate lactation and help the body produce milk after childbirth.

A dairy calf nurses naturally from its mothers udder in a calm pasture, educational mammalian lactation.

Etymology

lactatLatinto suckle

+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The verb meaning “to suckle” first gave a name to feeding an infant. The meaning later shifted to the bodily process that supplies that feeding: forming and secreting milk.

In context

mootechie3:44

Oxytocin is responsible for milk let down, while prolactin is essential for milk synthesis, production, and the maintenance of lactation.

Class 11 | Mammary System, Milk Secretion & Letdown in Dairy Cows | Moo Techie

More examples

Dairy cows need extra food during lactation.
Some medications can interfere with lactation.
A lactation consultant helps her manage a low milk supply.

Forms

lactation

lactate verb — To produce milk in mammary glands.

Similar words

milk production: Describes milk formation, without specifically including its release.